Image Prompt Response

The magnetic kid, long abandoned by their caring family wandered the hills. They didn’t feel truly lost as they had never been particularly aware of their location. But they knew vaguely that they had once been surrounded by a loving family. Or may that was just wishful thinking. At any rate, their life was now one of wandering through tall grasses and trying to keep themselves from rusting. The wandering, through heather, uphill and downhill, past animals that they didn’t have names for, was mostly fine. They felt as though they were searching for something, perhaps that family they had dreamed up. It was the rusting though that had them worried. They had lost one of they’re supporting abdominal pieces. It had rusted severely enough that it had lost it’s magnetic properties. Was that what they were destined for? Complete decohesion?

Here they approached a rock formation, the question was was their space enough between the rocks to allow safe passage or would they be better served to go around. They plodded along gradually getting closer. And there, flying above the rocks, was a creature made of flesh and blood but smaller than any of the other animals they had seen so far. It had fast-moving yellow wings and was clothed in what looked like some of the green leaves they’d seen on the ground.

Then there was another, this one with blue wings, and another with red wings. They chased one another and made screeching noises.

They saw the rocks had a path through them big enough to accommodate them and they plodded along through. For some reason, they did not fear the creatures. Once they were directly beneath them they waved their hands as best as the rust would allow.

The one with yellow wings spotted them and zipped down hovering a moment above a rock before settling on it. “Hello, there little metal thing. How did you get here?”

Strangely enough, the magnetic kid could hear and understand the creature. The noises of all the animals they’d encountered before now had meant nothing. But there was a problem, they had no way to talk. So they marched in place trying to demonstrate that they understood the question and that the answer was that they had gotten here by walking.

“You all, come take a look at this animated bit of metal!” the creature cried up to their fellows.

The others stopped their game of chase and settled on the surrounding rocks. The magnetic kid was surrounded on all sides. They thought perhaps they should feel trapped but they didn’t. These creatures reminded them of the family they thought they remembered. Perhaps they would have a remedy for the rust.

“Huh,” said the one with blue wings. “It’s not just some detritus from the human world. It has thoughts. They are a bit disjointed but I can make them out. It’s wondering if we are like the family that left it behind. If we can help it with its rust problem.”

“Oh,” said the one with the yellow wings. “We can’t do anything for machines of the humans, their ways are so different from our own.”

“But sister,” said the one with red wings, “I have a bit of magic that works on all thinking beings. And it would certainly solve the rust problem.”

Yellow wings glared with narrowed eyes. “You know father has forbidden you to use that magic on the humans or the animals. Surely he would not be well pleased if you used it on a human-machine.”

Blue wings, beat their wings and hovered above their rock for a few heartbeats. “But if we do nothing the machine will surely die. It fears the rust. Parts of it have already crumbled away.”

“I will do it and face the consequences. I cannot allow a thinking being to die simply to spare father a headache,” said red wings. “Prepare yourself metal one. This may feel decidedly unpleasant. You may not be able to scream but you may wish you could. Well brother, does it consent?”

The magnetic kid thought whatever they could do would be better than slowly rusting and dropping pieces until it could no longer walk at all.

“It does,” said blue wings.

A fierce glow surrounded the red winged creature. Then the glow shot at them. They were surrounded by it. The glow began to be absorbed by their metal. They didn’t feel the pain that the creature had intimated, but the glow suffused their very structure and that did not bode well. The color of their arms and legs began to change taking on the brown hue of the creatures and then it began taking on their shape. Soon they were completely transformed. Their legs wobbled and they toppled over. Their back hurt where it hit the ground.

The yellow winged creature came and hovered over them. “You have much to learn about being a fairy.”